Letters to the editor: 11/10

Residents at risk from new power line plans

I'm a citizen of the Town of Clinton. The Public Service Commission (PSC) is about to request bids for overhead high voltage monster power lines that will run through Dutchess and Columbia counties. Upgrading the grid is good but can be done badly, with catastrophic consequences for the community if done purely on the basis of lowest cost bidders. People could lose their homes, property values and rural quality of life. The state and PSC could, on the other hand, protect the community while at the same time upgrading the grid, by burying the high voltage cables, a practice common in Europe, California and Norwalk, Conn.

We need the PSC to issue guidelines that require minimal community impacts on the part of the winning bidder for this job. To date, representatives of the prospective bidding firms have demonstrated that they're not considering common sense, modern solutions such as burying the cables (though the gas line was buried along much of this same area). They're only considering immediate costs. This is short term savings with long term consequences, particularly to quality of life and economic security.

Overhead lines are vulnerable to weather, and attempts by anybody who wishes to cut off power to New York City. They are 20th century technologies, with serious environmental and potential health impacts. It's our understanding that a ruling will be issued in January 2014. There's almost no time to inform the public about this potentially devastating project. The public needs to be informed about the options now.

Bronwyn Bevan

Staatsburg

Tea party caused costly government shutdown

Now we know what irresponsibility and delusion look like within the Tea Party faction of the Republican Congress. Their last vote was to keep the government closed and to default on the nation's debt. Warren Buffet said that the impeccable 237-year credit reputation of this nation could have been ruined in a 20-minute vote by these fools.

For the last seven months, House Republicans refused to create a conference committee to meet with the Senate on the budget. They passed an unprecedented rule to prevent individual members from using discharge petitions on budgetary matters. They scheduled more days off for themselves than any Congress in history, but did find the time to plot and execute the government shutdown and made absolutely certain they would be paid during it.

Fortunately, 87 adult House Republicans joined 27 Senate Republicans and, along with every Democrat, voted to re-open the government and to pay the nation's bills. While not exactly a "profiles in courage" moment for them, as it is their job to do both things, they deserve credit. These sensible Republicans now face the wrath of Limbaugh, Fox News, and the billionaire Koch Brothers.

The cost of this Tea Party-concocted stunt was high. The economy lost $24 billion and it temporarily crippled the recovery. It added more debt to the deficit and endangered our credit reputation. It also caused a self-inflicted wound to the reputation of their own Republican Party - or what they pretend is their own party.

Gerald Browne

Fishkill

Affordable Care Act was always too good to be true

I warned the liberals who voted for President Barack Obama to beware of the Pied Piper. The Affordable Care Act sounded too good to be true. Yes? Well, it was not true, but the Obama Kool-Aid drinkers just kept following the Pied Piper.

The "wacky" Ted Cruz believers were right after all, huh? Imagine that. Once "Obamacare" hits you at home, in the pocket book, or impacts a loved one, not even the most liberal person will keep following the pied piper.

I trust this most recent lie will allow the liberal side to finally question all the previous issues this president has had. History repeats itself because no one listens the first time.

Fred Eberhard Jr.

Poughkeepsie

On multi-use rail trail, courtesy must rule

I wanted to respond briefly to Pat Kelly's Oct. 27 letter titled, "Cyclists must be more considerate of walkers." Cyclists must always yield right-of-way to pedestrians and approach them only with care and caution. However, on a multi-use rail trail, pedestrians need to be aware that faster users will be moving by them.

Courtesy requires that pedestrians walk on the right (and pass on the left), not swerve randomly from side-to-side, not take up the entire width of the path, control their dogs and children, and not be distracted by phones or music played too loudly into earbuds.

In all my extensive use of bike paths, every close call I've seen has been caused by a pedestrian, not a cyclist. Demonizing cyclists solves nothing; advocating courtesy to and by all is far more constructive.

Henry Pratt

Highland

ADVERTISEMENT

Most Popular

Most Commented

More Headlines

Most Viewed

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Letters to the editor: 11/10

Residents at risk from new power line plansI'm a citizen of the Town of Clinton. The Public Service Commission (PSC) is about to request bids for overhead high voltage monster power lines that will